With the sun setting in the west and the moon on the horizon in its waning crescent phase, Tony Rowbotham looked like a man on a mission. That mission, to be raised to the sublime degree of a master Mason. The Masonic Hall at The Palace, St Anne’s on the Sea was bustling with an interesting mix of members and guests of the Lodge of Triumph No 1061 and equally, with members and guests of Blackpool Lodge No 1476. This was a night to remember as the officers of Lodge of Triumph were given the honour of performing the raising ceremony on behalf of Blackpool Lodge. The brethren, totalling 41, smiled and joked as they put on their regalia and prepared for the feast of tradition and ritual that was about to unfold.
With the meeting underway and everyone seated in their respectful places, WM Darren Collins led the proceedings in his usual jovial style. He exudes an of air of calm and collectedness, which filters through the lodge to all of his officers. Before the ceremony got underway, director of ceremonies Alan Barlow took great delight in leading the lodge in saluting grand officers David Barr and Edward Rhodes, before asking everyone to take their time from him to salute newly promoted William Buchanan, who very recently gained the honour of Provincial Grand Steward and the other 19 Provincial grand officers present. With the customary proceedings completed, Darren asked William Buchanan if he would take the honour of occupying the chair of King Solomon and the ceremony began in earnest.
Tony was led to the appropriate place by senior deacon Roger Weston, who honourably stood in for William Buchanan senior at short notice and Tony had the relevant questions put to him. Tony said he was nervous about the questions, but this did not show one bit. His answers were clear and crisp. Clearly well rehearsed and the faces of the members and guests of his mother lodge looked proud, to say the least. Tony was then led out of the lodge room in the usual manner in order to be prepared for the next part of the ceremony.
At the appropriate moment, inner guard Joe Shaw, announced that there was an alarm and after confirmation that he was in possession of the password, Tony was admitted in due form. What followed can only be described as a pure masterclass in ritual. William Buchanan is truly a ritualist with the natural ebb and flow in his voice that really brings a ceremony to life. Not only for the candidate, but for the brethren in the room, some of whom will have heard the ceremony performed on many occasions. With the ceremony making excellent progress and the candidate looking in safe hands, deftly led by Roger Weston and supported by junior deacon, Peter Grihault, Will went on to conduct a word-perfect exhortation and charge.
Before long, it was time for the traditional history. If William Buchanan has a natural ebb and flow, then the award for the most well told traditional history must undoubtedly be given to Blackpool Lodge’s Luke Bodenham. This was a marvel to behold, delivered in a manner that felt like a teacher giving a history lesson to a class of enthusiasts. He was word perfect, well timed and really brought the history to life with his confident and animated style. This was followed by another piece of perfect ritual as Darren Collins presented the working tools of a master Mason to Tony. Tony will not realise it yet, but he had witnessed and been part of, some of the greatest ritual he will experience in Masonry.
With the ceremony complete and WM Darren Collins back in his rightful place, the meeting was not quite ready to be ended. David Barr took the opportunity to congratulate everyone involved in the ceremony and also had the pleasure of presenting Lodge of Triumph’s previously raised master Mason, Jack Todd, with his Grand Lodge certificate. Jack looked extremely pleased to receive this as his new, shiny apron jangled on his return to his seat. This was followed by Edward Rhodes reiterating David’s words, taking the time to congratulate Will, Luke and indeed Tony. By the time John Topping had the chance to speak on behalf of the Provincial grand officers, he said there were no more superlatives to utter, but echoed the sentiments already spoken and complimented the officers of Lodge of Triumph for the way in which they had conducted the ceremony, giving particular mention to Luke for his rendition of the traditional history.
With the ceremony concluded, it was time to continue the celebrations at the festive board. The sweet aroma of fresh, handmade food was in the air. The fayre on offer is always high quality and the evening’s offerings were no different. Whilst waiting for the first course to be served, it is always good to see, after a successfully ceremony, conversation amongst friends flowing and conversation going to and fro from brethren who have only just met with laughter filling the air. Newly raised Tony looked proud as he took the first well-earned sip of his drink.
It wasn’t long before thoughts turned to raising money for Masonic charities. This began with the monthly draw from Lodge of Triumph’s lottery, which is the brainchild of Edward Rhodes. The premise is simple, buy a number for £5 per month and if your number is drawn out first, the prize is £50 and for second place, £25. Edward Rhodes proudly spoke about the winners and the lottery in general saying that, at this, the final lodge meeting of the season. WM Darren, aided and abetted by David Barr, made the lottery draw. The first prize of £50 was won by number 17 which belongs to the wife of the late Graham Smith, Denise Smith. This is a nice coincidence as it’s Denise’s birthday a few days after the meeting. The second prize of £25 was won by number 25, which belongs to none other than David Barr.
The beauty of the lottery is that it continues throughout the summer recess. Edward went on to say that June is the anniversary of the lottery being registered and in its second year, the net profit has increased to £2,045 as more numbers have been taken and it is now up to 50 numbers, which is due to the generosity of all our members. This little lottery makes an enormous boost to our annual giving each January. And there are still numbers available, so if anyone is interested, please contact Edward directly.
Ted then went on to promote a date for the diary, that being 22 November, which is a ladies and gents Sunday lunch at the Bedford Hotel. The hotel has a super menu with increased choices on offer for a very reasonable special price, details will be circulated. There are plans for a new novel entertainment event with a television personality. New guests are welcome at these events and this television personality event promises to be better than ever. If anyone is interested in this social event, please contact Ted directly for more information.
Following the lottery draw, the West Houghton raffle got in full swing, led by charity steward Peter Grihault. Fingers wiggled in the air and quickly there were more than 200 numbers sold. This, in addition to the yellow envelopes and charity plate came to a total of £309.90 raised for Masonic charities. The first prize, a fine bottle of Malbec, was won by Julian Hale, swiftly followed by Dave McFarlane and his bottle of whisky and Mike Hornby scooped a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.
Once the frivolous fun was over, it was time for the toasts. WM Darren Collins, kept his short and sweet in his usual style, thanking everyone for the efforts of the evening and congratulating newly promoted Tony on his promotion. Next to speak was immediate past master, Mike Boxall. Mike, in his friendly manner, congratulated Darren on the way he and his officers had conducted the ceremony to the highest standard, giving particular mention to Will Buchanan saying that there is something special about his ritual and also to Luke Bodenham, saying that his traditional history was very animated, which enhanced it tremendously before looking Tony in the eye and welcoming him in earnest to the sublime degree of a master Mason, adding that he was impressed by the way he conducted himself and the way he had answered the questions put to him.
This was followed by a toast from long term friend of Tony’s and immediate past master of Blackpool Lodge, Darren Clemson, who offered his thanks to Darren Collins and the officers of Lodge of Triumph for conducting the ceremony on their behalf. He went on to say that he has known Tony for 30 years and he is the type of man that will never let you down. He is honest and very reliable, which are fantastic traits to have in Freemasonry. It is testament to his hard work, regular attendance at lodge meetings and practices and a willingness to learn more about the Craft that helped tonight go smoothly. Darren ended his toast by saying that he is confident that brother Rowbotham will have a very active role in Blackpool Lodge over the next few years. After a hearty round of applause, director of ceremonies, Alan Barlow said that Tony need not make a reply, however, as testament to the toast the brethren had just heard, Tony had clearly prepared a speech and was eager to respond to the toast.
Tony was beaming with pride as he said that the last two years have been an incredible journey, from his initiation to this moment of being raised as a master Mason. Saying that these experiences have meant a great deal to him and he is looking forward to learning more about the Craft and as his journey continues, going on to say that he would like to offer his deepest thanks to everyone who has helped him on the way and particularly to those at Lodge of Triumph who have made this evening possible. Tony has a calm demeanour and seemed to take the rapturous applause in his stride as he held his glass high to all present whilst making meaningful eye contact with those who know him best.
With the night waning fast, there was only one thing left and that was for the ever-charismatic John Nicholls to deliver the tyler’s toast. The meeting ended, but the brethren were not quick to leave. It was good to see the camaraderie as brother shook brother’s hand happy in the knowledge that they had witnessed a ceremony of the highest class, without doubt, one for the memory books.
